Chapter
four - Caught in the moment.
Sitting
in the great hall after a long morning of class's Tom finds himself
scorning into his plate of sandwiches. He'd found himself glancing
at Alice a little too much during class. If it wasn't for the way
her blonde hair reflected the light his eyes wouldn't automatically
find her he told himself. After always seeking out a challenge he
can't help but feel like since this girl has arrived Hogwarts has
brightened up considerably. No longer having to go through dire days
with boring people who give in to his every whim. For once their is
someone with wit, and charm. Someone to match himself.
"Tom?"
Avery mumbles after polishing of his bowl of soup.
"Yes?"
"I
don't mean to be nosey or anything," he begins glancing at Tom to
survey his expression, "but me and the guys have noticed that
you've been spending some time with Abel,"
Tom scorns him,
feeling the need to point out that it wasn't a question he just
asked, it was a statement. Turning his head for a moment to look at
Avery, he sighs at the questioning look.
"Don't worry, I need
to get close to her in order to work out her greatest weakness,"
Avery nods vigorously, deceiving the slightly confused look on
his usually placid face.
"This girl is a hard one to figure
out, but I will soon I assure you,"
"That's good, we were
just wondering if theirs anything we can do to help, that's
all,"
Tom sits for a moment in silence, going over Avery's
statement in his head. Is there something they could do to help?
Finding himself torn between two answers he mutters a "no," not
wanting them to be any where near the Abel girl, for both selfish and
practical reasons, "remember to tell the rest about our meeting
tonight,"
Looking at clock, he realises that there is only
fifteen minutes until class starts, so stands up waving a quick
goodbye to Avery, and heads to Transfiguration.
"Now class
welcome to Transfiguration," Dumbledore begins with a cheery grin
on his face as he surveys his students, "today we shall we doing,
I'm afraid, some theory," a loud groan manages to fill the
classroom as all the students slouch back in annoyance. Rarely did
anyone enjoy the theory part of Transfiguration.
As soon as
everyone begins to work Alice turns around to Sam, poking her in the
rib with her quill.
"Ouch, what was that for?" she hiss's
in reply, rubbing her now rather sore side, making Alice giggle
silently and glance over at Ruby remembering what she wanted to
ask.
"Is Ruby not talking to me or something?" she asks
genuinely confused about why she hasn't been talking to her since
the little tiff they had in the Great Hall.
"Oh," Sam smirks
caught a little of guard, "she's annoyed at you for hanging
around with Tom,"
"I've hardly
been hanging around with Tom!"
she protests appearing a little more hurt than she really is.
"Yes
well, it's a rarity that Tom ever seeks out anyone, especially with
so many girls willing let him have his way,"
Taking that as a
bit of a compliment and causing Alice to become a lot more confused
than before, she turns around for a moment to stare at the back of
Tom Riddles head as he concentrates on his work contently.
"Has
he ever, you know, had a girlfriend?"
"Not a girlfriend per
say, but he is known for having his way when he's not obsessing
over his work or being secretive," Alice slightly taking aback by
this surveys all the girls in the room, wondering which ones he's
had his way with, not that any of them would have complained.
"Tom
Riddle, a womanizer," she muse's, "who knew"
As the
class nears to an end, everyone packs up feeling glad that the
incredibly boring and tedious lesson is over.
"Miss. Abel a
word if you don't mind?" Dumbledore asks catching her by surprise
as she's packing her books away.
"Of course," she reply's,
turning around and waiting for the class to leave; sensing that this
has to be a private conversation. Sam gives her a small smile and
tells her she'll meet her later on, and as Riddle walks past he
catch's her gaze nodding lightly in her direction, probably curious
about what Dumbledore wants with her.
After all her classmates
have left and the door is closed she turns around to Dumbledore who
is perched on the end of his desk, smiling genuinely at her.
"Alice,
it's lovely to meet you," he begins ushering her to come closer
and sit down, so she perches on the end of the desk at the front of
the room.
"It seems that I haven't had a chance to talk to
you since you arrived and I was just wondering how you are settling
in?"
"Fine Professor, Hogwarts is a great school," she
reply's meaning every word. Even if the students in it are rather
complicated.
"I was hoping you'd say that. Now I know it's
none of my business. But I was just wondering if one of the reason
you came here was to find out the mystery behind your fathers work
and your parents death?" he says, so casually that Alice has to
double take before the words register in her brain. How does he know
that something was off about the way they died, behind the reason
they died?
"Professor, I don't know what you mean," she
stutters, half lying and half telling the truth.
"I'm sorry
Alice, but I am a very advanced Wizard, and after looking into their
unfortunate deaths a little more closely, I couldn't help but
notice something's just don't add up," he smiles, his eyes
glimmering in the dull room. Alice doesn't reply, god smacked by
how clever Dumbledore seems to be.
"Anyway, if you need any
help you know where to come," he beams motioning Alice to the door.
She smiles, thanking him for his kindness. Knowing that at the moment
she won't need any help from the staff. This is just one thing
she'll have to work out for herself.
Later that night after dinner Alice finds herself sitting in the Gryffindor common room, reading a book about the Dark Arts, and waiting for after hours so she can go and meet Tom Riddle. Her eyes run over the pages not really picking up any of the words. Tonight is the night. The night that she'll find out exactly how to remember the memory everyone wants her to forget. As much as her and Tom Riddle don't get along, she can't help but feel grateful at him for helping.
"Good
evening Alice," Ruby says rather abruptly sitting down next to her
on the couch in front of the fire. Alice turns around furrowing her
eyebrows at the sudden change of heart. Wasn't Ruby avoiding
her?
"Evening Ruby," she reply's in the same manner.
"I
was just wondering what's so special about you?"
"Excuse
me?"
"Well for some reason Tom Riddle seems far more
interested in you than he is in me, and I would just like to know,
what's so special about you?" her voice raising gradually until
it's almost a yell. Seemingly she was trying to stay calm but that
failed miserably. Alice lets the room fall into silence wondering why
at Hogwarts, everybody has the ability to surpise her.
"I'm
not sure what your talking about Ruby,"
"Oh don't play dumb
with me," she practically spits standing up, "you'll rue the
day you ever became my
competition Abel!" and with that she storms of up to the dorm
leaving Alice sitting in silence. Since when did they both become
such bitter enemy's over a boy Alice isn't even interested in
like that? Looking at the clock she realises that it's almost time
to meet Tom Riddle. Standing up she try's to put the days
occurrences out of her mind and heads out into the corridor focusing
on the imediate though of soon being able to understand her past.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a fright," Tom almost
chuckles as Alice jumps three metres into the air then turns around
with her hand holding the place her heart should be.
"Well you
shouldn't come creeping up on people like that late at night, in
dark corridors then," is her annoyed reply as she try's to calm
her racing heart.
"As I said, I'm sorry," he smiles
watching as the dim light flickers over her face causing her ocean
blue eyes to eluminate in the darkness. She smiles back rolling her
eyes at him.
"So what is this thing you want to tell me about?"
she asks excitedly, her whole body straightening up at the though of
gaining her information.
"We should go somewhere a little more
private to talk,"
They walk through the dark corridors in
silence, Alice following Tom until he finds a suitable place where
they can talk in private.
"Here should be fine," he gestures,
turning into an empty corridor and pointing to the large windowsill
facing towards the forbidden forest. They both sit down opposite each
other making themselves comfortable before the nights events begin.
"So come on, tell me!" she whispers excitedly, almost bobbing
up and down on the windowsill.
"I will if you'd just sit
still and let me begin," he grins placing his hand on her leg for a
fraction of a second to calm her down.
"There's this room
that I discovered a few years back," he begins looking down the
corridor to make sure nobody's near, "it's called the Room
of Requirements,"
"The
Room of Requirements?" she
repeats, "how can a room help me?"
"If you open it
correctly, it will reveal to you exactly what you want and need, it
can be anything," with this he notices her perking up abruptly.
"How to I find this room?"
"I can show you where it is
situated, then you pace back and forward in front of it three times,
thinking, telling, and willing for it to reveal to you what you want.
Then a door should appear, which you enter, and nobody should be able
to find you, or the room unless they know what you are after," he
finish's surveying her expression, which is one of joy, and she
appears almost speechless.
"Come on, I show you were it is and
make sure you get in safely,"
Grabbing her arm and placing
it in his own, he leads her through the maze of corridors and up to
the seventh floor. Looking around Alice grimaces.
"Tom this is
just an empty corridor," she states glaring up at him.
"Of
course it is, that's how the room disguises itself," he reply's
letting go of her arm and pointing over to a piece of empty wall,
"now pace back and forward in front of there three times, telling
it what you want it to reveal to you," he orders.
Walking
over to the wall Alice can't help but blush at how stupid it seems.
Walking back and forward in front of a bare wall hoping a door will
appear. Glancing once more at Tom who gives her an encouraging look
she does as she's told. Pacing slowly back and forward three times
she mumbles and thinks "I
need you to reveal to me the secret to gaining my memory back,"
over and over again, willing for this door to appear. Once her three
turns are up she pauses for a moment and turns around to face the
wall, which to her surprise isn't empty. In stead of a bare stretch
of wall in front of her, there now is a small scruffy looking door.
Turning back to Tom with apprehension and delight she reframes from
doing a little dance in excitement.
"Do you think it's
worked?" she grins, watching as he takes a step forward.
"Only
one way to find out," he smiles at her placing his hand on her
shoulder softly, causing her to melt a little inside which could
possibly be down to her deliriously happy mood.
"You should
smile more often,"
"I'll keep that in mind," he smiles
again trying suppress a grin and stop himself from blushing,
something which he never does.
"You want me to wait for you?"
he asks feeling a little concerned for her well being since she's
out in the empty corridors so late at night.
"No it's ok, I'll
be fine. You should get back to your head duties," she winks,
"thank you," is her last, sincere words before she opens the door
and enters into whatever lies behind it. Leaving Tom standing staring
at a blank wall where the door and Alice used to be, wondering how on
earth she just managed to charm him into caring enough for her safety
to wait around for god knows how long on her when he should be doing
his rounds and then attending the meeting he's holding in an hour
or so. Shaking his head in confusion and frowning mainly at himself,
he turns around heading back to the enchated staircase wondering what
on earth she wanted to find out so badly, and vowing to find out.
